A new contest record
703.9888
highest overall ever cooked here
703.9888 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 702.2516 SMOKE ME SILLY set in 2014.
- old record 702.2516
- set 2014 by SMOKE ME SILLY
Hawgin on Lanier (GBC Qualifier) 2015
Aug 28–29, 2015 · Gainesville, GA
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM won Grand Champion at the Hawgin on Lanier (GBC Qualifier) on August 28, 2015 in Gainesville, GA, scoring 703.9888 in a field of 41 teams. CHATTAHOOCHEE QUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 699.9772. Category winners: Chicken — CHATTAHOOCHEE QUE (180.0000); Pork Ribs — THE PIT CREW GA (180.0000); Pork — SAUCED! BBQ TEAM (178.8572); Brisket — HAWGPOUND SMOKERS (180.0000). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by SMOKE ME SILLY.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
595.10
median 671.83
703.99 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 180 🔥
142.77
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2015 — this edition picked out.
Entries
41
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
703.9888
Winning margin
4.0116
GC over RC
Field average
667.82
595.10703.99
median 671.83 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Tightest race
Chicken
4.5828 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
684.4568
595.10703.99
10th place overall
Field spread
108.8916
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 17%
beats 83% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
31%
12 of 39 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.75 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,579
avg power rating going in · stronger than 62% of contests
Storylines (6 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- HAWGPOUND SMOKERS · Brisket
- CHATTAHOOCHEE QUE · Chicken
- THE PIT CREW GA · Pork Ribs
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: ATLANTA BBQ STORE and BIG DADDY Q - FL tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: BIG DADDY Q - FL and BUB-BA-Q tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: OLD PLANTATION BBQ and HICKORY PRIME tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 6th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 6th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in pork
178.8572
best pork ever cooked here
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM turned in 178.8572 in pork — past the 177.7142 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 177.7142
- across 2 past editions
The biggest field yet
41
teams — a contest high
This contest usually draws about 38 teams
41 teams is the deepest field this contest has drawn in the data, against a typical 38.
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2013 | Gainesville, GA | Gainesville, GA | 37 | 692.5710 | KILLER B'S BBQ | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N |
| Aug 30, 2014 | Gainesville, GA | Gainesville, GA 30501 | 39 | 702.2516 | SMOKE ME SILLY | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N |
| Aug 28, 2015 ← this one | Gainesville, GA | Gainesville, GA 30503 | 41 | 703.9888 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | CHATTAHOOCHEE QUE |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4172 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 174.2628 | 172.5600 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 180 | 171.9888 | 170.8228 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
41 entries · top 703.9888 · median 671.8284
Chicken
41 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
41 entries · top 180 · median 167.3828 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
41 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.5372
Brisket
41 entries · top 180 · median 166.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
24 entries · top 176.5600 · median 166.5486
Master Series — Backyard Overall
24 entries · top 523.3828 · median 499.9658
Master Series — Backyard Pork
24 entries · top 177.7028 · median 167.6914
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
24 entries · top 174.3088 · median 167.1372